Healthy Eating on Vacation

Golden memories from family vacations are wonderful reminders of the special connection between family members. Each new place opens our horizons and provides a shared experience that keeps families close. Nothing can make you feel closer than spending 24hrs a day together in a small space such as a vehicle or hotel room, but it all seems worthwhile for a new adventure. Images from the movie, National Lampoon’s Vacation, remind us how exciting it is to finally reach our place of interest. The glorious run of Clark Griswold and his son, Russ, from the parking lot to the opening gates of the amusement park exhibits the rise of emotion upon reaching our destination during our travels.

While these new and magical places provide us with fun and excitement, sometimes being away from home can interfere with our daily routines and nutrition. Eating on the road can leave us feeling slow, tired, and irritable. We can avoid some of the discomfort of being away from home by planning ahead so we are able to sit back and enjoy the ride. Here are some nutrition tips to make travel more comfortable:

Plan Ahead

• Bring snacks/meals along for the ride: If possible pack a cooler for more options.
• Some great snacks that won’t leave you feeling bloated and weighed down like those fast food or convenience store items include:
• Fresh fruit- grapes, cherries, pre-sliced apples and oranges, bananas and berries in individual baggies hold up well.
• Sliced veggies- carrots, celery, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas and cherry tomatoes are easy and crunchy snacks. Take along some hummus or low-fat ranch for dipping.
• Trail mix- buy prepackaged or make your own with dried fruit, nuts and seeds.
• Granola bars- there are so many varieties; choose one with fiber and/or protein
• Peanut butter sandwiches or crackers - graham crackers or baked snack crackers can provide fiber. Peanut butter provides protein and healthy fats to keep you feeling full.
• If you have a cooler- try low fat yogurt, string cheese, sandwiches with lean meats and bagels and low-fat cream cheese
• Bring along lots of water!! Try sugar free flavor pouches for variation without the calories of soft drinks.

Eat out With Care

• Part of the fun of being on vacation is trying local cuisine that is unavailable in your area. Choose these local foods as part of your shared experience.
• Research what is available in the area; there may be a healthier option than fast food if you know where to go. Ask around or plan out options before you leave.
• Choose meals wisely. Restaurants tend to give us larger portions that we need, and if you’re eating out 3 meals per day that can really add up. Try sharing meals or desserts, take advantage of the snacks you brought, and the continental breakfast at the hotel. Choose items from each food group and eat only until full rather than cleaning your plate.
• If eating fast food, choose fruit and milk as sides versus fries and soda.
• At restaurants- ask about how the item is prepared and ask for substitutions. For example, ask for salad dressing on the side, steamed veggies versus fries and hold the mayo.
• Find local supermarkets at your destination to get some items for your hotel room and become a real local.

Keep Up Activity

While most of us don’t go to the gym while we are on vacation, there are many other ways to keep ourselves moving and have fun. Many amusement parks and nature parks that we encounter on our travels require walking. We can add extra movement by picking up the pace every once awhile, which allows us to see even more in less time. We can also build in more activity by parking farther out, walking to nearby sites when possible or renting bikes for the family. If you bring along the DVD player or video games, try and keep your kids active by allowing them to only be used when on the road. Some destinations naturally provide more activity such as camping and hiking. Others may require a more deliberate approach such as choosing a hotel with a swimming pool or stopping for a stroll on the drive.

From Marisa VanSchuyver, clinical dietician at Dayton Children's.

Dayton Children's Launches New Website

Just after the Fourth of July, a monumental event took place. There were no fireworks, just a seamless transition from old to new. After months of research and development, Dayton Children's launched our new website. The feedback we received from moms was invaluable in helping us develop a site we hope will become of valuable resource to those who seek support in raising happy, healthy children.

Besides a new look and feel, here's what you'll find when you visit http://www.childrensdayton.org/:

• More than 5,000 parent-friendly articles on health and safety topics from asthma care to making sure you teenager's job is safe. If you have a question concerning your child's health and development, there's probably an answer in this vast resource library.
• A symptom/condition search right on the home page that eases your ability to find information on that condition and the doctors who treat it.
• A find-a-doctor tool that helps you quickly find a doctor by name, specialty or near where you live.
• More robust patient and visitor information to help you prepare for your child's visit to Dayton Children's including questions to ask your doctor.
• A listing of our locations complete with Google map capability so you can easily find us.

Please share this information with your colleagues and friends! We hope that our website can be a resource to help improve the health status of children in our community!

In the World of Convenience Foods

With our current fast paced lifestyles, we often depend more than we would like to on convenience meal options. About half of our food dollar is spent on eating outside the house and at least one meal a day is eaten outside the home.

Fast food, vending machines, carry-out and gas stations all are places we grab a quick bite plus processed foods at the grocery store, and without meaning to, we are then eating meals that are high in fat, calories, sodium and low in fiber.

Planning meals and stocking our pantries and refrigerators will allow for more nutritious meals and likely will reduce the meals we eat outside our homes, along with saving a buck or two.

 

Ideas for planning:

•  Write a menu for the week and have the ingredients on hand
•  Assemble tonight’s dinner this morning and cook all day in the crock pot
•  When time to cook, cook extra and freeze
•  Pack breakfast/lunch/snacks the night before
•  Keep on hand easy-to-grab foods

Ideas for stocking your pantry and refrigerator:

• Fruit: seasonal fresh fruit in bowl on table/ready to grab in refrigerator , fruit cups (Natural and packed in own juices), dried fruit packets
• Veggies: carrots (and low fat dip) ready to eat, wash and cut veggies for stir fry/snacking/steaming, frozen vegetables
• Dairy: (choose low fat items) yogurt cups/drinks, string/cubed cheese, milk, cottage cheese cups
• Grains: (choose whole grain) keep cooked pasta/rice in refrigerator, baked chips, pretzels, low fat popcorn, wraps/bread
•  Meats and other proteins: hummus, cooked/canned beans, low fat refried beans, roasted/rotisserie chicken, hardboiled eggs, salt free nuts and canned tuna in water

Ideas for when eating outside the home:

• Choose grilled, baked, steamed foods more often and fried foods less
• Order kid sized menu items (but be wary of kid’s menu items which are often less nutritious than adult options)
• Choose low milk/dairy options vs. high sugar sodas
• Consider fruit/side salad vs. fries
• Split your order. Take home half of your meal. Share fries with the family.
• Add veggies to your sandwich. Top baked potato with veggies vs. the calorie laden alternatives (margarine and sour cream).
• Choose lean meat menu items and whole grain breads
• Choose fresh fruit for dessert. Or, split the dessert with a friend/family.

About our Expert: Becky Gonter-Dray, RD CSP LD
Becky has been a clinical dietitian at Dayton Children's since 2000. Currently, she works in the Pediatric Intensive Care and Intermediate Care Units and for Children's Home Care. Becky received her BS in Dietetics from the University of Cincinnati and completed her dietetic internship at Miami Valley Hospital. She is also Board Certified as a Specialist in Pediatric Nutrition. Becky has worked in adult hospitals, with the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC), and as an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Dayton. She enjoys cooking, teaching, and working with the pediatric population. She loves dietetics because she loves food and how it can help people to perform their best. Becky and her husband Alex are proud parents of 3 children, Patrick, Matthew, and Edward.